Willie Colón

Willie Colón

INTRODUCTION

Trombone player, composer, singer, bandleader, politician and social activist Willie

Colón is considered one of the pioneers in Latin American music. We will set out to know a little

more about this man, of Puerto Rican heritage, and his contributions to the music world as well

as the impact of his participation and involvement in social andpolitical activities.

To many people, the name and figure of Willie Colón is a synonym of Salsa

music. To me, he is a figure of music that my father particularly enjoys to listen to. He is, today,

one of the superstars of salsa, a living legend whose career has extended for almost 40 years and

continues to influence many artist and people all over the world.



II . WillieColón


a. The Early Years

William Anthony Colón Román (his full name), was born on April 28, 1950 in New

York, New York. His grandparents were Puerto Ricans, born and raised in the island. Willie

grew up in the middle of a Latin neighborhood in South Bronx, New York. He was surrounded

by family of Puerto Rican heritage and he had the opportunity to spend some summersat his

grandmother Antonia sister’s house which was at a farm located in the outskirts of the town of

Manatí, Puerto Rico. Willie was raised in the barrio by his grandmother Antonia Román Pintor,

who would talk to him in Spanish. His experiences in the Bronx and the time spent with his

Puerto Rican family deeply built a sense of culture and heritage pride within Willie, as he grewup.

During his childhood, he grew up listening to the danzas of Rafael Alers and Juan Morel

Campos on the radio. He also grew up, listening to the Latin music of his parent's homeland, and the

black rhythm and blues, jazz, and doo-wop of his native city. This was the norm, the custom, of any of the

second, and third generation of Puerto Ricans, in New York, of the time, justas normal as speaking

Spanish and English, or eating “arroz con pollo” one day, and burgers the next. Certainly, this influence

helped Willie maintain the cultural roots of his parents, and grandparents, and absorb it into the

American society he grew up in.

b. His Beginnings in Music

The only other musician in the family was his uncle Gilberto Román, who died frommeningitis as a child. He played the sax. Soon enough, Doña Toña noticed Willie’s musical

interest and gave him a trumpet, at the age of twelve, which he learned how to play together with

the tutelage of Tijoe, an African American trumpetist, who lived in his building. In 1964, when

he was only 14 years old, he formed the band The Latin Jazz All-Stars. Willie decided to change

theinstrumentation to two valve trombones, two years later. Apparently, it was the influence and

inspiration of Barry Rogers and Mon Rivera, together with the lack of skill for his trumpet which

prompted his switch to trombone.

Willie Colon led his own ensembles practically from the start. They recorded a demo

that included the tracks “Mama Güela,” “Dolores la Pachanguera” and “Fuegoen el Barrio,”

with Tony Vázquez, his first singer. Willie Colón was spotted by the visionary Al Santiago, in

the year of 1967, the owner/manager of the legendary Casa Alegre Record Store and founder of

the Futura Records label. Colón was once Al’s employee. Futura Records released the demo

“Fuego en el Barrio,” but his album debut for the Futura label was never realized asfinancial

problems led Santiago to cease productions. However, the master tapes came to the attention of

Johnny Pacheco at the Fania Records label. At the time, Fania Records was considered “The

Latin Motown, because of its many hits in the charts in Latin America. Pacheco didn’t hesitate

and gave Willie Colón the opportunity to sign a contract. He was only seventeen years of...